Body and Soul
by Shadow Koneko
Summary: Hinata watched in amazement as the blue color slowly drained from Kiba's eyes. It was like the color oozed right out of his irises. His colorless eyes seemed to bend and shift back to their normal slit-shape.KibaHinaNaru
1. Mission

Note: Because I had fun writing my last KibaHina story, I wanted to write another one. However, this one might be a multiple-chapter story. I don't know because the idea is still pretty sketchy (I thought of it while I was half asleep/reading 'The Host' and only scribbled a few notes down), but I'll see where it goes. Also, this one will be another love-triangle type story because I just love the situation the three of them are in. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. What a shame :(

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Body and Soul  
_Chapter One: Mission_

_Smoke._

_There was nothing but a thick, gray fog surrounding them for what seemed like miles. Even with her heightened senses and extra powerful eyes, it was hard to tell what this enemy's next move was going to be. She had never encountered anything like him before._

_"Hinata!" Her teammate cried from somewhere nearby._

_Hinata whirled around, her black hair whipping around her body. She peered through the smog and could barely make out three figures in the distance. Two of the figures were about the same height, both sporting spiked up hair styles. The third figure was much smaller and more slender then the other two. The two similar figures charged at the smaller one, colliding with him at the same time. Their was a huge clap, it reminded Hinata of thunder. Dust was scattered because of the collision making it harder for her to see._

_When she didn't hear anything after the dust began to clear, a sinking feeling started to overcome her. Hinata tentatively stepped towards where her friends had stood a moment ago, "Hello...?"_

_The closer she got, the better she could see. Hinata squinted through the remaining dust and fog . A tiny gasp escaped her pale lips. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears. She could feel her whole body beginning to tremble._

_Just a second ago, three figures had been standing in the clearing. Now there was only one.  
_

_

* * *

_Hinata awoke to the sound of her alarm clock blaring from beside her bed. Her violet eyes blinked opened. She groaned and leaned over to shut the annoying alarm off. It was 7:00 AM, meaning if she didn't get up now, she would be late.

She tossed the covers off of her body and threw her legs over the side of her bed. Hinata rubbed the last bit of sleep from her eyes before setting her feet and the floor and walking over to her closet. She slid the doors of her walk-in closet open, frowning like she always did when she entered. She hated how her father had felt the need to give her this much space for just clothes. It was too much.

Hinata grabbed the first two things she saw: a lavender colored t-shirt and a pair of navy capri pants. She tugged them on, grabbed her ninja supplies, and headed downstairs. She gulped down her breakfast without even tasting it, said goodbye to her little sister, and was out the door.

She raced through the familiar streets of the leaf village, smiling at any familiar faces she passed along the way. She pumped more chakra into her legs when Tsunade's tower came into view. The glass, double-doors opened the minute she was in inches from them and she darted through. Hinata paused to catch her breath in front of the secretary's desk, smiling weakly. The secretary returned her smile, "Tsunade-same is waiting for you, Hinata-chan."

"T-thank you," She spoke in between breaths.

Once she had caught her breath, Hinata straightened up and proceeded through the double-doors and into Tsunade's office. Tsunade was sitting at her desk, using her two hands to rest her chin on. Two other figures turned around when Hinata entered the room, both of them grinning at her.

Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka both wore identical expressions as she slowly made her way across the room to stand in between the two of them. Akamaru, who was seated on the other side of his master, yipped excitedly. Hinata could feel her heart pounding against her ribcage. _I didn't think Naruto-kun would be here..._

"Well, now that all of you are here..." Tsunade began and Hinata squeaked out an apology for being late."I want to go over the details of your new assignment."

"Sweet!" Naruto's left hand curled into a fist while Kiba simply smirked.

Tsunade glared at him from under her lashes but continued anyway, "There have been reports of some kind of strange energy coming from right outside the village. Last night Etsuko Cho was reported missing. I don't know if this has any connection to the strange energy, but, just to be on the safe side, I'd like the three of you to check it out."

Kiba groaned at the thought of having to work with Naruto, "Ugh. Why us?"

"Because, you and Hinata can track this... thing and since Shino is away on a mission with Sakura, I figured Naruto should go with you two."

"Great," Kiba muttered sarcastically.

Naruto ignored him, "When do we leave?"

"Right now," Tsunade replied, her full lips curving up into a smile.

"WOO-HOO!" Naruto cheered, racing out the door.

"Hey! Hold on, Naruto!" Kiba growled, following his temporary teammate out the door, Akamaru at his heels.

Hinata quickly bowed and thanked the hokage, before scampering after the two boys. She flew through the doors and caught up with them outside the building. Naruto and Kiba already looked like they were arguing over something.

"You can't just run off like that!" Kiba snarled.

"Jeez. Sorry." Naruto mumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

Hinata grabbed Kiba's sleeve, "It's not a big deal, Kiba-kun. W-we caught up to him didn't we?"

Kiba gawked at her for a moment, his cheeks beginning to match the color of his tattoos, "Y-yeah."

Naruto sighed, "Are we leaving or what?"

"If it'll shut you up," Kiba muttered under his breath.

"_You're _telling _me_ to shut up?" Naruto muttered back.

Hinata stood in the middle of them, "P-please don't fight. We're supposed to be on the same side..."

"Whatever," The two of them scoffed in unison before beginning to walk towards the village gates.

Hinata followed them quietly, staring at the back of Kiba's head. She focused on the back of her teammates head because she knew if she looked at Naruto, she wouldn't be able to think straight. _I don't understand why the two of them can't get along. Maybe because they're personalities are so similar?_

Despite the fact that the two of them would probably argue the whole way there, Hinata was still excited. She rarely got to go on missions with Naruto. This gave her another excuse to be around him, even thought she didn't think she could say something to him without turning bright red. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, just to see what he was doing, but quickly looked away so he couldn't catch her staring.

Kiba, on the other hand, was not excited at all about the new addition to their team. He _hated_ it when Tsunade made Naruto go with him and Hinata. _Why couldn't she have just let the two of us go? Gah. No. I don't think I could handle that, but still... why the hell did it have to be HIM?_

His idea of a good time wasn't exactly watching the girl he'd loved for the past two years fawn over someone else. And if THAT wasn't bad enough, the guy that she was drooling over didn't even notice her. So, he had to watch her be crushed time and time again, which only made him angrier.

The whole thing baffled him. He didn't understand how Naruto could be so oblivious. Hinata was cute and smart. Why wouldn't Naruto want to be with her? How could he not notice the way she smiled at him?

_Pff. I wish she'd smile at ME like that._ Just the thought of one of her brilliant smiles made him blush.

Hinata and Kiba's thoughts were interrupted when Naruto took off running towards the gates. They both picked up the pace so they could keep up with the energetic blonde. The trio paused at the gates. Now, it was time to put all their emotions aside and get to business.

"Okay, let's talk strategy." Naruto slid his knapsack off his shoulders. He unzipped it and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. He unraveled it, revealing a map of the village and the surrounding forest. Tsunade had marked the spot where Etsuko was last seen.

"So... she was last spotted here, right at the edge of the forest." Kiba pointed to the red 'X' on the map.

"What does she look like?" Hinata asked. It would be good to know, in case she spotted the girl with her byakugen.

"Let's seeee..." Naruto pulled out another sheet. This was the missing persons report. "Etsuko Cho: she's 18 years old, brown hair, brown eyes. She was last scene wearing a pink sun dress. There's a picture of her here."

Kiba and Hinata peered over Naruto's shoulder to get a better look. The picture was of a girl, smiling brightly. She looked a bit younger then her 18 years, her brown hair falling past her shoulders and weaving to the middle of her back.

"She's pretty," Hinata murmured quietly.

"I guess," Kiba sniffed, but he could think of someone who he thought was much more beautiful. "But what about this 'strange energy' any ideas as to what it could be?"

"It could be chakra," Hinata suggested, "But maybe it's altered somehow?"

"Or maybe it's a ghost!" Naruto suggested, his blue eyes widened at the idea of fighting a ghost.

"And maybe Akamaru can fly," Kiba sneered. "I guess we'll find out what this thing is when we get out there."

The trio packed up the papers, making one final mental note of what the girl looked like, before heading through the village gates. Before any of them knew it, they were surrounded by trees on all sides. Hinata looked all around her, trying to see if she could feel where this strange energy was coming from.

"Hinata," Naruto spoke, causing her to jump.

"Y-yes?" She replied, teetering back and forth on her heels. Kiba wanted to gag.

"Try using your byakugen. We're getting close to the spot where she disappeared." Naruto instructed, without looking at her.

"O-oh. R-right." She replied, feeling a little foolish for not thinking of the idea herself and for thinking that Naruto was going to say something else. She stopped, closing her eyes a focusing her chakra. She could feel the blood pumping through her veins. Everything around her began to slow down and become more clear. She opened her eyes, and she could see for miles and miles. Every warm-blooded thing that moved glowed an eerie red color. Hinata moved in a slow circle, taking in her new surroundings.

"Anything?" Kiba asked, hovering near her.

Hinata placed both her hands on the sides of her head, trying to focus her energy even harder. She was close to pushing her powers to their limit, when something caught her eye. Far off, there was a human. A girl. Maybe it was the girl they were looking for.

"Over there." She pointed in the direction of the girl.

Without another word, Kiba and Naruto were off, Hinata close behind them. The girl was moving rather slow, so it wouldn't take them long to catch up to her. They were closing in on her when she stopped moving straight and changed course.

"W-wait!" Hinata shouted and the two men in front of her stopped abruptly, causing her to crash in Kiba's back. The dog-ninja quickly turned around and snatched her up, preventing her from falling. He made sure she was steady before he released his hold on her arms, "T-thank you, Kiba-kun."

"S-sure," He scratched the back of his head. "Why'd we stop?"

"Um... the girl changed course." Hinata informed them.

"So?" Naruto asked, his legs itching to run again.

Kiba shook his head, "So she knows we're following her and obviously doesn't want to be caught."

"What the hell?" Naruto muttered.

"Yes... it is strange." Hinata agreed. They were trying to rescue this girl, so why would she run away from them? It didn't make any sense.

"Does any one else feel that strange energy that Tsunade-same was talking about yet?" Kiba asked, trying to relax his body so he could see if he sensed anything.

"Now that you mention it," Naruto said. "I do feel _something._"

"Me too," Hinata added. "But it doesn't feel like chakra."

"Yeah... it almost feels... evil." Kiba sniffed the air and Hinata shuttered. He was right, whatever it was, it felt wrong. What bothered Hinata more, was that it didn't feel _human._ Whatever this _thing _was it certainly wasn't of this world.

"S-should we keep going?" She asked tentatively, glancing at each of her companions.

"Of course," Naruto grinned. "There's three of us and only one of him. We'll be fine."

Without waiting for a reply from Kiba or Hinata, he dashed off in a random direction. Kiba grumbled something incoherent, but took off after him anyway. Hinata shivered one last time, took a deep breath, and followed them.

They whizzed through the trees, eager to get back to finding Etsuko, or whoever it was that was out there. Naruto glanced back at Hinata, "Which way is she going now?"

Hinata activated her byakugen once more, "Um... she's right ahead of us!"

"Excellent!" Naruto beamed. "Etsuko, here we come!"

"I hope that's who it is..." Kiba spoke under his breath.

"She's stopping..." Hinata whispered, once again confused. _What on earth is she thinking?_

The trio continued forward. They proceeded more cautiously because the closer the got, the bigger the evil feeling became. The mystery girl slowly came into view, and when they could clearly see her, the trio froze.

There was no mistake, this was the missing girl, Etsuko Cho. The face was identical to the picture they were given. She was wearing a pink sun-dress, which was now tattered and torn. Her long, brown hair was matted and dull, a few leaves sticking out of it. But that's not what made them become so paralyzed. Her eyes in the report were a warm, rich brown color. Now, they were blood-red. She stared them down, her unusual colored eyes narrowing.

Hinata tried her best to control her trembling hands, but she wasn't having much luck. "W-what happened to her?"

Kiba didn't answer her, he simply stepped in front of Hinata, trying his best to conceal her. He was certain that the evil energy from before and Etsuko were one in the same, and he would not allow whatever happened to her to happen to Hinata.

Naruto showed no signs of fear. He calmly called out to her, "Etsuko?"

The girl's lips curled into a smirk, "Sorry, but she's not here."

"What the hell are you?" Kiba blurted out, his teeth snapping together. Akamaru whimpered from beside him

"My, my... aren't you a nosy bunch," She chuckled and then her eyes narrowed again. "But you're strong. Good. I can finally ditch this worthless body."

"D-ditch the body?" Hinata stuttered from behind Kiba, her voice cracking.

The girl sighed, "Yes. Ditch it. If you _humans_ must know, I am a demon. I have to use a lot more energy when I'm in my regular form, so it's just easier for me to take control of someone else's body. I was wandering through the woods the other night, when I ran into this girl. Unfortunately, she's very weak. One of you will make for a much better host."

Kiba growled and took a protective stance in front of Hinata. Akamaru growled at the demon.

Before any of them could blink the demon flitted into the air. Naruto tensed, "Get ready!"

She appeared behind Hinata, snatching her up by the wrist. The raven-haired girl yelped, squirming in the demon's grasp. She could feel a slow fire beginning to burn in her arm, spreading to wherever the demon's fingers moved. Her vision began to blur and her arms began to feel limp. She pumped chakra into her free hand and pushed it against the demon's chest, forcing it backwards. Once she was free, Hinata scrambled back to her teammates side, shaking her burning wrist.

"I think it just tried to take over my body..." Hinata huffed weakly.

"I won't let that happen," Kiba snapped. He nodded at Akamaru and then leapt into the air. The two began spinning in the air, forming a wind tunnel. The tornado spun through the air at lightening fast speed and smacked into the demon, knocking it back into a tree. Kiba and Akamaru landed a few feet away.

"Kiba-kun!" Hinata called, "Remember that that's still the girl's body! Be careful!"

"Shit," He cursed under his breath. "I forgot. So how do we fight her?"

"We're going to have to restrain her and then figure out how to get the demon out," Naruto said.

"How are we goi- Kiba-kun, watch out!" Hinata screamed.

"Huh?" Kiba turned around just in time to see the demon launching herself at him. She had gotten up while the trio was conversing and wasn't too happy about being knocked to the ground before. She grabbed both his arms, pinning them to his side.

Kiba writhed around, trying to escape the burning sensation, but her fingers were like a vice. The body may have not been very strong but the demon sure was. It felt as though she was going to snap both his arms, like they were twigs.

"Let... go..." He groaned.

Akamaru sprung up, sinking his teeth into her leg. She let out a yelp, releasing her hold on Kiba so she could smack the big dog. Akamaru skidded across the ground, his body colliding with a tree. Kiba gaped, "Akamaru!"

He dashed over to his best friend, placing one hand on his head. Akamaru lifted his head weakly, leaning into his master's hand and whimpering. Kiba sighed with relief. His dog wasn't hurt too badly. He glanced over his shoulder, glaring at the demon.

She simply leered back at him, her gaze shifting back to Hinata. Kiba's eyes widened in horror when she darted away, realizing that she was going to go after Hinata again. "Hinata, watch out! She's heading back to you!"

Hinata and Naruto went rigid.

"Not this time..."Naruto muttered. He placed both his hands together and muttered something under his breath. In seconds, another Naruto appeared with a 'poof'. The original Naruto held out his hand while his clone began spinning energy into his open palm.

"N-naruto-kun..." Hinata whispered as the demon appeared in front of her.

Naruto and the clone held the ball of chakra in between them and dashed towards the demon's back. The chakra smacked into the middle of her back, making a crackling sound and causing her to cry out in pain.

Naruto fell to one knee, sucking in deep breaths. Hinata was at his side in an instant. She placed a concerned hand on his shoulder, "N-naruto-kun? Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Just tired." He breathed.

"T-thank you..."

He smiled weakly, "Anything for a friend. I wouldn't let her get you."

They looked over to see the demon huddled on the floor, her skin scorched and shaking. Kiba wobbled over to his two friends, clutching one of his arms. Akamaru limped behind him. Hinata immediately rose, "Kiba-kun, are you hurt?"

"Just my arm. She grabbed it a little too hard. She's strong for such a tiny thing."

"I know," Hinata agreed, rubbing her wrist. "But I think Naruto-kun got her."

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" The demon's weak voice made them look over at where she was laying. Now she was sitting on the ground, her legs folded beneath her, cradling one of her arms.

"How are you even conscious after that?" Naruto marveled, still too weak to get to his feet.

It laughed, sliding its tongue across its bottom lip, "That's an impressive move. It seems like I'll have to take a different route..."

She let go of her arm, pressing both her palms to the ground. A thick, gray fog began to seep up from the ground. It slowly filled the area, surrounding every thing for miles. It was so thick that they couldn't see a thing. They may as well have been blind.

"She's trying to separate us," Kiba's voice cut through the fog. "That way we can't protect each other. We have to take her out now. Human body, or not."

Naruto grunted. Even though he never would want to hurt another human being, he knew it had to be done to stop this thing. Hinata simply nodded. She was too numb to speak. Slowly, she pumped chakra through her veins and up into her eyes, activating her byakugen.

But even with her enhanced vision, it was hard to see anything.

She heard two pairs of feet dashing off, kicking up more smog as they went. Hinata bit down on her lip, feeling very alone. Was she supposed to follow them?

"N-naruto-kun...? Kiba-kun...?" She whispered hoarsely, but there was no reply.

She tried to concentrate on locating them in this heavy smog, or even finding the demon, but it was too hard to make anything out. Not to mention that her heart was pounding so hard that it was hard to focus on _anything._ But she had to figure out what the demon's next move was, or she would lose her body and soul.

"Hinata!" Someone yelled and she whipped around, her eyes wide with fright.

What if something had happened to Naruto or Kiba? What would she do?

She squinted, trying her hardest to see through the gray smoke. She could barely make out three figures in the distance. They were standing in a triangle formation. Hinata guessed that they all couldn't see one another, because they didn't seem to be aware of another presence. Two of the three figures seemed to be similar in stature and appearance.

_Naruto-kun! Kiba-kun! They're okay!_

The third figure was smaller, more delicate, but tensed and ready to fight.

_The demon's still here too. She seems to be aware of Naruto-kun and Kiba-kun. But I don't think that Naruto-kun can see Kiba-kun. This fog is so thick and it smells funny. Kiba-kun probably can barely smell the anything. They must just be going off instinct. I shou-_

But before she could finish her thought, Naruto and Kiba darted towards the demon, their fists raised. They all collided at the same time, stirring up more dust and smog, making it impossible for Hinata to see what was going on. When they crashed into one another, there was a huge clap. It sounded like thunder.

Seconds after the attack, the dust began to clear. Hinata could feel her breath getting caught in her throat as she waited to see what happened. She took a small step towards where her friends were, her heart thumping in her ears.

"N-naruto-kun...? Kiba-kun...?"

There was no answer.

She squinted through the remaining smog and let out a tiny gasp. She covered her lips with one shaking hand.

Just a second ago, three figures were in the clearing. Now there was only one.

((End of Chapter))

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End of chapter one! I know that there wasn't too much KibaHina-ness in this chapter, but I'll get that later! I promise! Review and let me know if I should continue. I'd like at least 10 reviews before I put up chapter two! Thank you! :)


	2. Eyes

Note: Sorry it took so long for an update! I wanted to finish my other multi-chapter story before continuing this one, I've been busy finishing up school, and I was kind of stuck on how to write this next chapter. Sorry! Anyway, on to chapter two!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. What a shame :(

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Body and Soul  
_Chapter Two: Eyes_

"N-naruto-kun? K-kiba-kun?" Hinata called out to her comrades. She still couldn't make out whether the distant figure was male or female; They were still masked by the smoke.

Her chest heaved up and down with each passing second. Slowly, the thick smog started to simmer away, clearing up her senses. Hinata could feel her vision and sense of smell starting to return. The solitary figure slowly became more clear. Hinata could make out spiked-out hair and broad shoulders. The person's forehead gleamed as the sun started to peak through the remaining smoke. The person was male and they were wearing a metallic-plated headband.

Hinata blinking the tears out of her eyes. She still wasn't sure which one of them it was, but one of them had survived the attack. The demon was gone. She called out to them,"Naruto-kun! Kiba-kun!"

Just as the words left her lips, the boy fell over. Hinata gasped and darted over to their side. When she was within a few feet of them, she saw the familiar leather jacket and dark hair.

_Kiba-kun..._

She knelt down beside him, pressing her ear to his chest. She blushed slightly when she felt his chest rise and fall against her cheek. He was still breathing and his heart was beating steadily in her ear.

Hinata quickly sat up, her knees folded underneath her. She glanced around, scanning the area. There was no sign of the demon... or Naruto. She frowned and shook her head. There was no time to be worrying about Naruto. She had to take care of Kiba.

_He'll be okay..._ She tried to comfort herself. She wasn't sure whether she was talking about Kiba... or if she was talking about Naruto.

* * *

"Open your eyes, Kiba-kun..." Hinata begged, running the back of her hand across his cheek. She removed his headband and placed a tepid cloth on it. Her hand drifted up across his forehead and through his brown hair. She had mixed up some herbs she brought along, crushed them until they were small enough for him to just swallow. She had hoped that maybe that would help him wake up.

"Please... Kiba-kun..." She whispered softly, her fingers moving to trace the red tattoos on his cheek.

"Ugh..."

Hinata's hand recoiled when she felt him move underneath her touch. Kiba's nose wrinkled and his brow furrowed. He coughed a bit before sitting straight up. He clutched his forehead, moaning softly.

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata whispered softly and placed a hand on his shoulder. She was happy that he was awake, but he looked like he was still in pain.

"What happened?" He mumbled. His head was pounding and his whole body ached. He felt like he was going to be turned inside out.

"The demon used some sort of smog to confuse us. You, her, and Naruto-kun all collided at the same moment... She's gone now, but so is Naruto-kun..."

Kiba didn't miss the sadness in her voice. He rested his arms against his knees and tucked his face in against his arms, "Naruto's missing huh?"

_I'm right here!_

Kiba blinked, his face still buried in his arms. His headache was beginning to intensify. Hinata could feel him stiffen under her arm.

"K-kiba-kun? What's wrong?" She asked, her voice swimming with concern.

"M-my head..." Kiba growled, "N-naruto..."

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, her eyes wide and her voice soft.

"His voice... Did you hear him?" Kiba asked in a low voice, his head still down.

Hinata's eyebrows shot up. Had Kiba gone out of his mind? Naruto wasn't anywhere around here and she certainly hadn't heard his voice, "N-no... Naruto-kun's not here..."

_Yes I am! I'm right here, Hinata_!

Kiba's hands flew to the sides of his head, clutching fist-fulls of hair. He groaned as the pain in his head intensified. It felt like there was no more room in his head, like his skull was going to burst any second. Hinata grabbed his hands and tried to pry them off the sides of his head. She managed to pin them to the ground, blushing from the awkward position it put them in. She was nearly straddling him.

"K-kiba-kun, please just tell me what's going on?" She asked, her voice laced with nothing but concern. She tried her best to focus on his pain, instead of how close she was to him.

"Naruto's voice... in my head..." He groaned, his eyes still squeezed shut.

"You hear Naruto-kun's voice in your head?" Hinata asked skeptically. She had really hoped that Kiba hadn't lost all his marbles.

He nodded weakly, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. He grit his teeth, turning his hand over to grab her hands. He squeezed a little too tightly and Hinata yelped. She let him hold on anyway.

_Naruto!_

_Yeah, Kiba? Where the hell am I anyway?_

_... I think you're in my head. Get the FUCK out. It feels like my skull's gonna burst!_

_I've been trying to get out! All I see is the dark... How the hell am I in your head?_ Naruto's thoughts rang out loud and clear.

_How the hell should I know? Stop trying to get out for a sec'... Maybe thats what's giving me this headache._

Everything went perfectly still in his mind. The pain slowly started to fade and Kiba was able to relax. His body stopped shaking and he released his hold on Hinata's hand, which was throbbing by now. Kiba breathed a sigh of relief. Hinata quickly scooted away from him, so they weren't in that awkward position anymore.

He turned to Hinata, who was staring at him with wide eyes. He ran one hand through his sweaty hair, "Sorry about that Hinata-chan..."

"It's-... Kiba-kun, your eyes!" She gasped, her hands immediately flying up to his cheeks.

Kiba blushed underneath her touch, and hoped she wouldn't be able to feel how warm his cheeks were. He cleared his throat, "What about em'?"

Hinata rummaged around in her bag and pulled out a small, compact mirror. She handed it to Kiba, nearly dropping it because her hands were trembling so badly. Kiba flipped the mirror open and held it up to his eyes so he could see what she was talking about. He gulped and dropped the mirror.

His eyes were blue.

They were no longer their normal slit-shape. They were rounded and softer. They'd lost their coal-black color. Now they were cerulean, the same color as the oceans and rivers. Hinata hadn't noticed before because his eyes had been closed up until now, to try and fight off the pain in his head.

_I can see now! Hey Hinata!_ Naruto called inside of Kiba's head. He must've only seen darkness before because of Kiba's closed eyes. Now he could see everything that Kiba saw.

_Shut up. She can't hear or see you, moron, because YOU'RE IN MY HEAD._

_Oh yeah... well maybe we should figure out how the hell this happened and where my body went?_

Kiba stopped listening to Naruto when he heard Hinata giggle. He glanced over at him and she blushed, "I could tell you were arguing with him. H-he's really in there isn't he?"

Kiba's mouth formed a thin line and he simply pointed to his eyes, which were narrowed slightly.

"S-sorry..." She stuttered, realizing that he was upset.

Kiba sighed and smacked his hand against his forehead, "No... no it's not your fault. I just can't believe this is happening."

"So you can hear his voice?" She asked, scooting a little closer to him.

"Yes... And I guess he can hear all my thoughts too." Kiba replied.

"Can he hear me?"

"Yeah, and he can see you too..." Kiba replied, getting to his feet, "What do you think happened? Why do you think he's in my head?"

Hinata pursed her lips, "I"m not sure... it probably had something to do with that demon."

"Who's also missing. I bet if we find her, we'll find Naruto's body..." Kiba suggested, his voice free of any emotions.

Hinata nodded softly, her eyes locking with Kiba's for one swift second. She was really worried about Naruto. What if the demon had managed to take over his body?

"N-naruto-kun?" She asked, looking back into those blue eyes she knew so well.

Kiba suppressed a groan. If it was hard watching Hinata fawn over Naruto, then this was going to be ten million times worse. She was now going to have to fawn over Naruto _through him_.

_Great... JUST GREAT!_ He glumly thought, momentarily forgetting that his thoughts were no longer his own.

_She's trying to talk to me. Can you let me have control or something? And what the hell are you complaining about now? YOU'VE got your body._ Naruto replied with a 'humph'.

_There's no way I'm giving you control. I'm complaining because I've got someone STUCK IN MY HEAD and now every time someone wants to talk to you, they've gotta do it through me._

_So?_

_Never mind. Just be quiet._

Hinata stood there patiently. She could tell he was arguing with Naruto again from the way his eyes were moving When it looked like things were getting a little too intense she tugged on his sleeve, "K-kiba-kun?"

"O-oh sorry, Hinata..." He said quickly, "What did you need to say to him?"

"J-just tell him that we're going to find his body and fix this," She said quietly and then added, "Please."

_I heard her. Thanks, Hinata._ Naruto sounded grateful but slightly worried. Kiba was a little jealous that Hinata was more worried about Naruto than him. He quickly shook that feeling away before Naruto could detect it. His jealousy was replaced by anxiousness. If Naruto was worried, than that was pretty bad.

The trio (now technically a duo) packed up whatever supplies that were scattered around. Hinata kept a sharp eye out in case the demon returned, or any clues that might lead them to where her or Naruto's body went off too. She didn't have much luck finding anything.

"It's like they both just vanished..." She murmured, adjusting her knapsack.

Kiba let out a small sigh, running one hand through his disheveled hair, "Not much we can do about it now. We wouldn't even know what to do even if we found Naruto's body. We need to get back to Tsunade and see if she's ever heard of anything like this because I sure as hell haven't."

Hinata silently nodded, staring into his blue eyes for a second. If she concentrated, it was almost like she could see Naruto. Maybe that saying about eyes being the window to a person's soul was true.

Kiba blushed when he realized she was staring. He quickly turned away, realizing that she was studying his eyes. It disgusted him. Even though she was returning the look he always gave her, that affectionate, intent stare, she was only doing it because of his new eyes. She was looking at him as if he was Naruto. That was going to irk him to no end.

_Why am I feeling so... awkward?_ Naruto's voice rang out clear in Kiba's head.

Kiba's eyes narrowed. He really didn't feel like speaking to Naruto at the moment. _Mind your own business._

_No offense, but your feelings and thoughts are kinda my business now. Whether you or I like it or not._

Kiba couldn't ignore that he was right. His private thoughts and feelings were no longer his own. He wasn't going to be able to keep his biggest secret a secret for much longer. Not with the nosiest person he knew now occupying his brain.

_I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually._ Kiba replied, and he left it at that.

* * *

"What do you mean Naruto's in your head?" Tsunade practically screeched. She shot up out of her chair, sending it tumbling backwards. Hinata started to go pick it up, but Kiba placed a hand on her shoulder. She was the only one here who knew he wasn't crazy and he needed her to help him convince Tsunade. She couldn't get distracted by anything else. Hinata seemed to understand.

"L-look at his eyes, Tsunade-sama," She squeaked, stealing a glance at Kiba's piercing blue eyes.

Kiba slammed both his hands on her desk and leaned across so she could get a better look. Tsunade squinted examining the new color. She sighed, picked up her chair and plopped back down into it, "They do look like Naruto's..."

_That's because they are mine, you hag._ Naruto scoffed from inside his head. He must've forgotten that Kiba was the only one that could hear him.

Tsunade massaged her temple, trying to fight an oncoming headache, "How the hell did this happen?"

"I have no fucking clue," Kiba spat, standing back up straight and folding his arms across his chest. Hinata stood beside him, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. It sounded like Tsunade had never heard of something like this before.

"Watch your language, Kiba," Tsunade's eyes narrowed in his direction. She glanced over at Hinata, "Hinata, can you tell me exactly what happened up until they joined bodies? What happened to Etsuko?"

Hinata cleared her throat and launched into the story of how they had found Etsuko in the woods. She told Tsunade how Etsuko's body had been taken control of by a demon. She flinched when she saw that Tsunade wasn't fazed by the demon part, "S-so we had to fight her. We thought maybe if we knocked her out, we could figure out how to extract the demon from her body... only the demon wanted to get out. It thought that Etsuko was weak, and when it saw how strong we were, it decided to try and take over one of our bodies."

Hinata skipped over some details of the fight, and got to the point where the demon used a smokescreen to separate them, "N-naruto-kun and K-kiba-kun disappeared into the smoke and attacked the demon at the same time. It kicked up so much smoke that I couldn't really see what happened after that. Then when the smoke c-cleared... the demon and Naruto's body were gone. Kiba-kun was the only one l-left... and N-naruto-kun was t-trapped in his head."

She finished the story and waited patiently for Tsunade to say something. She peeked up at Kiba, and saw that he was standing perfectly still. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth had formed a thin line. She knew he was waiting for her to give them some sort of solution, and he was nervous that there wasn't going to be one. She had the sudden impulse to squeeze his hand and try and comfort him. The thought made her cheeks turn pink. Maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea, but she hated seeing him this stressed out...

Before she could make up her mind, Tsunade spoke, "So you and Naruto attacked the demon at the same time, then this happens? Here's my theory: The demon was trying to use whatever technique it uses to change bodies, when you both collided with it. The fact that it was now trying to fuse with two bodies instead of one, probably caused something to go wrong. Naruto ended up in Kiba's body, instead of the demon ending up in one of your bodies. I'm also betting that if you find the demon, you'll find Naruto's missing body."

Hinata's lavender eyes widened, "Y-you think the demon took over Naruto's body?"

Tsunade leaned back in her chair, "Probably not in that instant. Not if something went wrong with the fusion process. It probably stayed in Etsuko's body and then took Naruto's somewhere else to finish the job. You find the demon, you'll find him."

Kiba felt his head starting to spin, and he hoped that Naruto wasn't running in circles in there, "So we need to track down the demon again and get Naruto's body back? Then what do we do?"

Tsunade shrugged and Kiba and Hinata nearly fell over. She had made everything sound so simple up to this point. Kiba straightened up and glared at her, "What the fuck does that mean?"

"Language."

"WHAT THE _FUDGE_ DOES THAT MEAN?" He corrected himself but was now screaming. He couldn't live with Naruto in his head for the rest of his life. He wouldn't.

"Demon's aren't my expertise," She explained, resting her elbows on her desk. She reached down into one of the drawers and pulled out a map, "I have an old friend who lives in a neighboring village. He is an expert on monsters. He can probably perform an exorcism to get the demon out of Etsuko's body and get Naruto's soul out of your body, Kiba."

Hinata shuttered when Tsunade mentioned an exorcism. The dark-haired girl leaned over the desk to look at the map. Kiba was still to miffed by her delayed answer to even look. Hinata followed Tsunade's finger to the neighboring village. It didn't look like it was too far from here.

"My friend's name is Miro. Just ask around once you get there and I'm sure you can find him. Tell him I sent you," Tsunade explained to her. She circled the village with a red pen, folded the map up, and handed it to Hinata, "Just make sure you track down Etsuko and Naruto's body first. If you need back up I can send Shino along with you..."

"No thanks. We'll be fine," Kiba snapped. He grabbed the map from Hinata and stormed out of Tsunade's office. Tsunade gave Hinata a sympathetic look before dismissing her. Hinata quickly thanked her and ran out of the office after Kiba.

* * *

_So how are we going to track them down? _Naruto asked Kiba, once they were outside. Kiba was surprised that Naruto had been relatively quiet while they were in Tsunade's office.

_I guess the same way we tracked the girl down before, but who knows how far she's gotten now._ Kiba replied. He turned around when he heard the doors to Tsunade's office open. Hinata stumbled out, her eyes searching until she found him. He motioned her over.

"I g-guess we should just leave now," She suggested tentatively.

Kiba shook his head, "Not just yet. I want to make sure we have everything we need. Who knows how long we'll be gone for. Do we still have that picture of Etsuko? We can ask anyone we see if they've seen her, assuming the demon's stays in that body for awhile."

_Good thinking, Kiba._

Naruto's comment surprised Kiba for a moment. Naruto rarely complimented anything Kiba said. Kiba chose to ignore it and watched Hinata rummage around in her knapsack. She pulled out the photo of Etsuko.

"And we probably need a picture of Naruto," Kiba eyed her suspiciously, "You don't have one, do you?"

Hinata blushed to the roots of her hair, hoping Naruto didn't think she was a creep or anything. Why was Kiba trying to embarrass her right in front of him?

"N-no, K-kiba-kun!" She stammered, shaking her head back and forth.

_Where are we going to get one then?_ A completely oblivious Naruto asked. Kiba couldn't help but chuckle, which caused Hinata to stop shaking and blushing.

"W-what's so funny?" She demanded, only it didn't sound so demanding coming from her.

Kiba's chuckles slowly faded out and he ruffled her hair affectionately, "Just something Naruto said. Sorry for teasing you, Hinata-chan. I knew you wouldn't have a picture of him."

"O-oh," She replied quietly, her cheeks turning red again when he touched her hair.

Kiba quickly pulled his hand back when he saw her blushing. The contact was making her uncomfortable. He frowned, wishing he could run his fingers through her hair. He liked the feeling of it; it was soft and smelled like lavender.

_Pervert._

Shit. He forgot about Naruto being able to sense his feelings and thoughts.

_Hey wait..._

Shit. Shit. Shit.

_I guess I can't call you a pervert. I like the smell of Sakura-chan's hair too. It smells like cherry blossoms._

Whew! Good old oblivious Naruto.

"Should we g-get going then?" Hinata asked tentatively, because she could see there was some Naruto/Kiba inner turmoil going on.

Kiba blinked and then nodded. He shrugged to adjust his knapsack and they started walking towards the village limits. He wasn't sure how the hell he was going to survive this mission with his sanity in tact.

Hinata kept glancing up at Kiba, trying to sneak a peek at his inscrutable face. She still couldn't believe that this was happening; that it was even physically possible for two souls to be joined in one body. She hoped with all of her heart that they could find a way to separate the two of them. Hinata wasn't sure what she was going to do if she wouldn't be able to see Naruto's face ever again. She felt uncomfortable having the eyes that she loved so much on someone else's face.

"The sun's starting to set," Kiba murmured, breaking the heavy silence between them. He was starting to feel awkward and didn't know what else to say to her.

Hinata glanced up at the sky. It had become a tie-died mix of oranges and pinks. The sun was just starting to dip behind the distant trees. She could feel a slight chill in the air. Nighttime was closing in on them.

"We're at about the spot where the demon attacked us," Kiba noticed that the surrounding area looking familiar, "I don't see any sign of it. We may as well just make camp here and try to pick up the search in the morning."

Hinata nodded in agreement. She removed her knapsack and started setting up a tent, while Kiba gathered wood to make a fire. He carefully arranged the sticks into a tent-like position. He quickly got the fire going, right before the sun set completely. Before the knew it, they were enveloped in complete darkness, except for the small fire. Hinata had finished setting up the tent, and went to sit by Kiba, who was tending to the fire.

She drew her knees up to her chest, watching him poke at the flames from the corner of her eye. She finally asked the question that had been running through her mind all day, "How's N-naruto-kun holding up?"

Kiba stiffened slightly. He expected her to worry about Naruto; he even expected her to not even bother asking how he was holding up during this whole thing. He didn't expect his insides to burn with a jealous rage so strong, that he had no doubt that even Naruto would notice.

But his head was silent. There was no barrage of questions or speculations. Naruto was quiet.

_Naruto?_ He thought cautiously.

He was answered with a soft snore. Naruto was sleeping. In his head. Kiba shook the ridiculousness of the situation away and sighed. At least he'd get a little piece for now.

He glanced over at Hinata and his heart thumped when he saw her expectant face. He had forgotten about her question, "He's fine. He's sleeping right now, so he probably can't hear you."

"O-oh," She answered softly. She turned away from him, her cheeks turning slightly pink, "I hope we can get all this f-fixed... g-get Naruto-kun back into his own body soon..."

"Me too," Kiba replied bluntly.

"I s-still need to tell him how I feel a-about him," She gulped. She had only said that because she knew Naruto could not hear them and Kiba already knew about her feelings for the blonde boy, "It might be easier to tell him now... s-since I don't have to see his f-face, b-but he'd still hear m-me..."

Kiba didn't answer and simply watched the flames dance in front of his face.

((End of Chapter))

* * *

Yayyy chapter two's done! Again, sorry for the long update wait. A couple things to mention: I said earlier that I was inspired by the book "The Host", so any of you who have read that might be able to see the connection, I upped the rating from K+ to teen for Kiba's language (naughty, naughty), and I hope you like the direction I took the story in! Please read & review! :)


	3. Embarrassment

Note: After re-reading my two chapters I realized I left out a vital part of the story: AKAMARU! So pardon the pathetic backtracking to go get Kiba's puppy =] Other than that, enjoy chapter 3!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. What a shame :(

* * *

Body and Soul  
_Chapter Three: Embarrassment_

Hinata began to fidget nervously when Kiba was silent for more than a few minutes. She glanced up at him from under her thick, black bangs. Her heart sped up a little in her chest. The way the light from the fire was hitting his face made him look striking but the expression on his face was scary, almost terrifying. He was staring at the flames, his eyes narrowed and his mouth was twisted into a scowl. Hinata couldn't remember the last time she had seen him so angry. He looked angrier now, than when he found out that Naruto was stuck in his head.

She hesitated for a moment before asking him, "K-kiba-kun? Are you okay? W-was it something I s-said?"

Without blinking, he replied, "I don't think you want to tell Naruto."

Hinata's violet eyes went wide with surprise, "W-why not?"

"I don't want to see you get hurt."

A gust of wind whipped through their camp, sending Hinata's hair flying all around her and extinguishing a bit of the fire. She stared at Kiba for a few seconds, before regaining her composure. She turned back towards the tiny fire, wrapped her arms around her knees, and tried to control the tremors rolling up and down her spin. She felt numb.

Kiba didn't want her to get hurt, which meant that he knew how Naruto felt about her. He could, after all, hear every one of Naruto's thoughts and, apparently, none of them were about her. She assumed Kiba got so quiet because he didn't want to say anything to upset her. He was her friend, and teammate, and didn't want to see her feelings get hurt.

Hinata was shaken from her thoughts when she felt Kiba's hand on her shoulder. She was cold and could feel his warm, rough hands through the fabric of her jacket. She glanced up, blinking back some tears as she stared into the eyes she loved so much.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-chan," Kiba sighed. He thought about wrapping his arms around her and giving her a hug, but he wasn't too sure. He settled for leaving his hand on her shoulder, "I wish you'd just give up on him, Hinata-chan. He doesn't see how great you really are. All he ever thinks about is-"

He quickly cut himself off because he could feel himself starting to get angry. He was going to say something he'd regret later.

"S-sakura?" She whispered quietly, her head dipping down because she couldn't look into those eyes anymore. She was still shivering.

Kiba bit his lip and nodded grimly. When he hear her sob, that was enough. He pulled her against his chest. Hinata's crying quieted after a moment and Kiba gently lifted her away from his tearstained chest. Her eyes, cheeks and nose were puffy and red from crying. Kiba thought she still looked beautiful. She would always be beautiful to him, no matter what she looked like.

Hinata glanced up and smiled slightly when she saw that Kiba was flashing her a warm smile. She felt a little better after crying. Her chest still hurt, but it had felt good to let everything out. She just hoped she hadn't made him feel uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry about that, Kiba-kun," She whispered, rubbing her eyes, "Thank you for trying to make me feel better."

"Well, I wasn't about to just sit there and watch you cry, Hinata," He said pointedly.

Hinata was about to say something back, but her whole body was shaken with a sudden gust of cold air. The fire had pretty much gone out while she was crying. She suddenly missed the feeling of being snuggled up against Kiba's chest.

Kiba couldn't help but notice her shivering. He motioned towards the tent behind them with his thumb, "Wanna head inside?"

Hinata nodded silently and scrambled into the tent. It wasn't much warmer inside, but at least they were out of the wind. She crawled over to where their bags were propped up in the corner. When she reached them, her eyebrows shot up and her jaw fell open.

She had forgotten her sleeping bag.

_Oh no! How could I forget..._

Kiba saw her expression and gave her a questioning look. Hinata smiled awkwardly, "I-I guess I'm sleeping on the floor..."

Kiba's mind clicked when he realized what she was talking about, "You can take my sleeping bag. I don't mind being on the floor."

Before she could protest, he crawled over beside her. He ignored the way his stomach flipped upside down when he accidently brushed up against her arm. He was happy when he noticed that she didn't flinch or scoot away like she normally did. Kiba pulled out and unrolled his sleeping bag. He unzipped it all the way and waited for her to climb inside.

Hinata looked down at the unzipped bag and then back up at him, "K-kiba-kun... I can't take your sleeping bag. You need it too. How are you going to sleep on the cold, hard ground?"

Kiba didn't like the idea any more than she did, but he would rather that Hinata be comfortable instead of him. He waved her off, "I'll be fine. Besides you're probably drained. Go ahead and take it."

Kiba then slipped off his leather jacket and folded it up to use as a pillow. He knew he would probably be chilly without it, but he had slept in the cold before.

Hinata bit her lip as she watched the jacket slide off his broad shoulders. He was only wearing a mesh shirt now, and Hinata could see every defined muscle in his chest, abs, and arms. She had never noticed just how built he had become over the years. She blushed to roots of her hair and quickly turned away in case Kiba noticed her staring. When he didn't say anything, she snuck one more quick peek.

Kiba laid down on his temporary pillow. He tried to ignore how cold the ground was. He knew he could sleep soundly knowing that Hinata was comfortable. He just had to ignore his own uncomfortable bed and focus on that.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kiba watched her crawl into the sleeping bag. She still looked somewhat hesitant as she pulled the covers up to her shoulders. He still smiled triumphantly and closed his eyes.

* * *

Hinata laid awake for what felt like hours. She couldn't sleep. She felt guilty. It was her fault that she didn't remember a sleeping bag, and yet here she was, hogging Kiba's. It also didn't help that she could still hear him tossing and turning a few feet away from her. She knew he was still awake.

Suddenly an idea came to her that made her nearly gasp at how bold her mind had suddenly become. Maybe it was the sleep depravation that was making her think this way, but Hinata had come to the realization that this sleeping bag was more than big enough for two people. They could share. The idea made her cheeks turn red.

When he let out another uncomfortable grunt, she blurted out, "Y-you can sleep in here, K-kiba-kun!"

Kiba rolled over, and stared at her for a second. He could only make out her soft eyes and pink cheeks in the dark. He blinked before trying to clarify what she had just said, "Huh? I told you to sleep in there. I'm fine, Hinata-chan."

Hinata thought about correcting herself, but she hated seeing him so uncomfortable. She whispered, "I-I meant we could s-share... if you w-want."

_I can't believe I'm saying this!_

_I__ can't believe she just said that!_ Kiba thought, and then quickly checked to make sure his thoughts hadn't woken up Naruto. He could still hear a faint snoring in the back of his head, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Now Kiba's cheeks matched Hinata's. He slowly sat up and crawled over to the sleeping bag. He noticed her watching his every move, with wide, childlike eyes. Maybe this wasn't a good idea...

However, Hinata still scooted over, making room for him inside the sleeping bag. Kiba sucked in a deep breath and crawled inside. He tried to make as little contact with her body as possible. Once he was completely in, he squirmed a little bit to try and get as far away from her as possible, yet still be comfy. He had to admit, this was way better than sleeping on the ground.

"Better?" Hinata asked quietly, trying not to move around too much. She knew that even slightest contact with him, would probably send her into a panic attack.

"Mhm," He nodded softly, and squeezed his eyes shut. The sleeping bag was much warmer than the cold, hard ground and Kiba quickly drifted off to sleep.

Satisfied with her good deed, Hinata smiled to herself. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pounding in her chest so she could fall asleep too.

* * *

_Oh my god... OH MY GOD... WAKE UP! What... WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?_

Kiba was woken up by a very loud, panicked voice in his head. His eyes shot open but all he could see was the empty green wall of the tent.

_Wait a minute... where's..._

_HINATA! HINATA! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HER KIBA? WHY ARE YOU GUYS SLEEPING LIKE THIS?_

It was then that Kiba noticed the warmth against his chest. He glanced down and saw that Hinata was flush against his body. Her arms were wrapped around his waist, pulling her up against his chest. His chin was resting on top of her head.

He was immediately overwhelmed, so overwhelmed, that he didn't even notice Naruto was still freaking out. Her body was warm and soft. Her face looked gentle, her lips twitching occasionally in her sleep. His nose was filled with the enticing scent of her lavender shampoo. This was everything he had dreamed about, and he wasn't prepared for ant of it at all. His heart was beating like a madman. He thought about trying to squirm out of her grasp but he knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it.

_KIBA?_ Naruto shouted, trying to get the dog-nin's attention so he could explain why Hinata was in bed with him.

_Calm down. Nothing happened. She forgot her sleeping bag so she shared mine. She must've snuggled up to me while we were sleeping._

_Oh_. Naruto sounded relieved. He would have felt really awkward if he had to deal with a one-night-stand, in addition to being stuck in someone else's body._Wait a minute... you like this don't you?_

Kiba didn't miss the devilish tone in Naruto's voice. He glared at nobody in particular, wishing he could deck Naruto right now.

_Hey!_

_Whoops! Sorry forgot you could hear me. I still wanna deck you though._

_That means I'm right then._

_Shut up. Mind your-_

_Yeah, yeah mind my own business._

_Thanks._

Kiba turned his attention back to the sleeping girl in his arms. He slowly brought one hand up and ran it through her soft hair. The smell that wafted off those strands was heavenly. Kiba could have stayed like this for days, "Hinata..."

Hinata's eyes fluttered open when Kiba whispered her name. He hadn't been thinking. He'd been lost in the moment. He became gripped with fear when he felt her eyelashes flutter against his neck. Her body instantly stiffened against his and she let out an ear-piercing scream.

Hinata scrambled out of the sleeping bag so fast, that she nearly ripped it in two. She launched herself to the far corner of the tent, shaking and sweating. Her face was completely flushed.

"K-k-k-k..." She stuttered, staring at him with wide eyes.

Kiba sat up, sighed, and ran his fingers through his disheveled hair. He hadn't expected her to act like_ that_. He said, in the softest voice he could muster, "Sorry, Hinata-chan. You said that I could share the sleeping bag with you remember? I should've just stayed on the ground..."

Hinata stopped shaking when she remembered what had happened the night before. Her face was still red, "D-did we-"

"No," Kiba replied quickly, his face turning the same color as hers.

_That's what you SAY..._ Naruto piped in.

SHUT IT. She's freaked out.

_Clearly._

_Naruto. I don't need this right now. I'm trying to comfort her, so PLEASE be quiet?_

_Fine._

_Thanks._

"I'm really sorry, Hinata-chan. I..." He didn't know what else to say. He had scared her. He should have pushed her to the other side of the sleeping bag or something, instead of cuddling with her. Bad idea.

Hinata sucked in a deep breath, her cheeks slowly returning to their normal, rosy glow, "I-it's okay, Kiba-kun. It was an accident. I s-shouldn't have reacted s-so strongly."

"No, you had every right to freak out," Kiba shook his head grimly and then rose to his feet. He tried to change the subject, "Anyway we should get going. I think we should head back to the village."

Hinata looked at him quizzically, "Why?"

Kiba scratched the back of his neck, "Well, for one, I think we need to get another sleeping bag."

Hinata blushed and silently agreed.

"And two, I think Akamaru should come along with us. It will be much easier to track this thing with him here." Kiba explained.

Hinata nodded, her eyes focused on the ground. Kiba sucked in a deep breath and prepared himself for the uncomfortable journey back to the village.

* * *

"Hey boy!" Kiba called when he opened the front door. Hinata stood awkwardly in the doorway behind him. They had hardly spoken two words to each other on the way back.

Hinata knew she shouldn't have felt so awkward; after all, she was the one who had invited Kiba to share the sleeping bag with her. She couldn't help but be embarrassed, though. She had never been that close to someone. They were practically _cuddling_. Which was big for her.

Hinata lifted her head at the sound of paws scraping against the floor. Akamaru came bounding down the steps, knocking Kiba over when he reached them. The dog-nin burst out laughing and scratched his dog behind the ears. Akamaru affectionately licked his face.

"All right, all right..." Kiba chuckled and stood back up. He glanced back at Hinata, who was watching him with wide eyes. When their eyes met, she quickly looked down at her feet. Kiba let out a sigh and knelt down beside Akamaru. He patted the dog on the head, "Okay Akamaru, you remember what Naruto smells like right?"

The big, white dogged barked and wagged his tail.

"Good," Kiba grinned, knowing that Akamaru had meant 'yes'. He figured, at this point, that it would be simpler to track Naruto's scent instead of the demon. He suspected that the demon was either carrying Naruto's body, waiting to take over it, or it had already possessed Naruto's body.

_Shit._ Naruto whispered inside Kiba's head. _That thing better not be in my body. We won't be able to fight it..._

_We won't really have a choice. We're going to have to restrain it somehow, whether it's in your body or not._

_Damn it..._

Kiba hadn't told Hinata about his suspicions. He didn't want her to worry anymore then she already was, and it was apparent that she had a lot on her mind, since she wasn't really speaking to him at the moment. He figured it would be best to just leave her to her thoughts. She'd start talking to him when she felt comfortable.

"Okay," Kiba said, standing straight up. He turned to Hinata, trying his best not to look her directly in the eye, "Let's head over to your place and grab an extra sleeping bag. Then we can head out and start tracking this thing down."

Hinata, who was still staring at her shoes, nodded silently. Kiba made his way out the door and she followed, but because her head was still down, she bumped into him. She yelped and felt gravity taking hold of her.

Before she could even stumbled backwards, Kiba had spun around and gently grabbed her arms. Her breath hitched and her cheeks burned at the sight of those cerulean eyes. She was frozen in his arms, staring intently at his face. Hinata couldn't help but notice how soft and warm his eyes looked, despite their cool color. Like fire and ice swirled together.

She had to remember though that it wasn't Naruto looking at her with those azure eyes. It was Kiba who was looking at her with such devotion that it made her blush to the roots of her raven-hair.

"K-kiba-kun..." She whispered softly, wishing she could hide her face somehow.

Kiba quickly pulled her upright and steadied her, making sure she had her balance before he let go. He flashed her a quick smile and scratched the back of his head, "You okay? Sorry, I know how you are about your personal space, but I didn't want you to fall."

"T-thank you," She stuttered, her fingers intertwining. She peeked up at him from under her bangs and caught him smiling at her. A shy smile tugged at the edge of her lips. Why was Kiba always so kind to her? She had been treating him so awkwardly all morning and yet, he was still one of the best friends anyone could ask for. Maybe it was the whole dog-nin thing; maybe it made him extra loyal.

"I-I'm sorry for not talking t-to you, K-kiba-kun..." She squeaked just as he had turned his back to her. He glanced over his shoulder and then turned completely around. Hinata was still standing there, staring down so her thick bangs covered her red face, "I-I wasn't m-mad, I s-swear. I w-was just embarrassed. I've n-never been that close t-to someone. Y-you surprised m-me and I d-didn't know how to r-react. M-maybe I s-should've just slept on the ground..."

She looked up when Kiba laughed. He walked over and ruffled her hair affectionately, causing her to blush again.

"Stop it, Hinata. You know I'd never let you sleep on the ground. Sorry for surprising you." He said sincerely.

_Yuck. You two need to just kiss and get it over with already or something. _Naruto complained. These two were just starting to be sickeningly sweet.

_Hah! And have her never talk to me again? Yeah right._

_So you want to kiss her then?_

_...Shut up._

_Mm-hm. Thought so._

_Naruto, I swear..._

_Your secret's safe with me!_

_Yeah cause' who are you gonna tell? Me?_

_Oh... right... good point._

They arrived at Hinata's house and Kiba waited outside while Hinata ran in to retrieve her sleeping bag. While rummaging around through her closet, Hinata couldn't help but think of Kiba's face when he had caught her. Those eyes were burning with such intensity, that it was hard to just forget that it had happened. Why had Kiba been looking at her like that? And why did it make her shiver from head to toe? Hinata shook away her chills, grabbed her sleeping bag from the top shelf and ran back out to meet Kiba.

"G-got it," She smiled when she met him outside.

"Let's get going then," Kiba nodded towards the city gates. Akamaru led the way, eager to get to run in the woods.

Kiba glanced down at his companion, "Once Akamaru picks up Naruto's scent, we can just jump on his back. It'll be faster if we follow it that way. Once we get close enough you can track it."

Hinata nodded, knowing that with Akamaru's sense of smell and her enhanced vision they'd track down the demon in no time. Hopefully, it hadn't regained all of it's strength just yet.

Hinata started to fidget. She wanted to ask Kiba a question that had been in the back of her head ever since they started this mission, but she had been too afraid to ask it. Finally she decided to just blurt it out, "Kiba-kun, do you think the demon took over Naruto-kun's body?"

Kiba sucked in a deep breath. His mind went completely still and silent. He looked down at her, "I don't know. I'm sure it has his body. It might still be too weak to do the transfer. Maybe that smoke-screen technique, and whatever it used to do this," Kiba paused and pointed to his eyes, "made it really weak."

"What if it is in his body?" She whispered, her eyes going wide, staring at the road in front of them.

Kiba turned away from her, trying to keep his voice even, "Then we'll have to fight it. Somehow."

He heard Naruto and Hinata gulp simultaneously.

Hinata couldn't imagine fighting Naruto, even though it wasn't really Naruto. It would be an ultra-powerful demon using his body. Still, the idea of hurting her dear friend and first love would be nearly impossible.

Kiba didn't really like it either. He wasn't sure how they would be able to capture the demon without damaging Naruto's body.

_At least I might finally be able to take out some of my anger towards you_. He said, trying to lighten the mood.

_Har. Har. _Naruto replied sarcastically. Kiba could tell that, despite his lively sense of humor, he was still very worried. Their thoughts were drifting towards the inevitable fight and the image of Kiba and Hinata pounding Naruto into the ground made them both shutter. Kiba shook his head when he imagined Naruto throwing Hinata as hard as he could. The image of her body smacking against the ground and Naruto standing triumphantly over her made him quake in his shoes.

No, he wasn't looking forward to this at all.

Hinata, who was watching Kiba out of the corner of her eye, saw his hand curl into a fist and his teeth snap together. She could hear him mumbling under his breath. She gulped again. She could tell that both Kiba and Naruto were having the same thoughts as she was. She tried to shake the battle scenes from her mind, but she couldn't help but worry. That's just what she did.

With a heavy sigh, she followed Kiba through the gates and into the woods.

((End of Chapter))

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End of chapter 3! Sorry this one was short and mostly just fluff. I was stuck with what to write next and figured I'd just do something to bring Kiba and Hinata a little closer :] and to give Naruto a little more insight into Kiba's big secret crush too. Please R&R!


	4. Comfort

Note: SOooo I don't really have much to say here other than happy new year! Glad everyone's enjoying things so far... I'm going to try to move the plot forward a bit more in this chapter, but we'll see how that goes seeing as I have MAJOR writer's block. Hope this sounds okay! Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy chapter 4!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. What a shame :(

* * *

Body and Soul  
_Chapter 4: Comfort_

"Kiba-kun, is Akamaru sure we'll still going the right way?" Hinata asked from behind her teammate. They were both riding on top of the huge dog, since Kiba insisted it would be faster this way. They wouldn't have to worry about following Akamaru this way. So Kiba was riding in front and Hinata was seated behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist. Of course, the contact was making her blush, "I don't sense the demon anywhere..."

"Not sure," Kiba replied over his shoulder. He looked back ahead, "Akamaru, you still got Naruto's scent?"

The dog yipped in response and picked up the pace; despite having two travelers on his back, he could still move relatively quickly. Kiba glanced back over his shoulder, "Akamaru's sure. And I'm picking up traces of Naruto's scent too. If they're not close, then they've at least been through here. Be patient, Hinata. We'll find them."

With a soft sight, Hinata's head dipped down so the only thing she could see was the back of Kiba's leather jacket. She didn't like all this waiting and wondering. It was making her anxious.

Kiba tried to ignore the sigh. She was worried, he knew that much, but there was nothing he could do to help her. And he knew he couldn't be jealous of her worrying about Naruto, because quite frankly, he was concerned too.

_YOU worried about ME? _Naruto asked incredulously. _That's a first. And what's with the jealousy? Do you wish the demon picked you or something? That's stu-_

Kiba cut him off before he could go off on a tangent. _Well would you rather me NOT worry about you? How about I just hope the demon took over your ugly ass. Would you prefer that? And no way in hell I'm jealous of that. That one's gonna fall under the "none of your business" category. Okay?_

_Fine. _Naruto replied, sounding childish. _But I'm gonna figure it out. Eventually. _

Kiba chuckled at the thought of Naruto pouting inside his head. He knew Naruto was getting close to figuring out his secret, but he hoped he could keep it under wraps until they got Naruto out of his head.

"Kiba-kun, do you sense that?"

Hinata's soft voice ripped him from his thoughts. He tried to focus on what she was talking about and after a few seconds, he picked it up too. He nodded grimly, "I do. It's the same energy we all felt when we first ran into the demon."

Kiba could feel Hinata's grip on his waist tighten and her body start to tremble. While he hated seeing her scared, he had to try not to enjoy having her so close to him.

Akamaru slowed down so they would be a little stealthier. The demon's energy, combined with Naruto's scent was getting stronger with every step they took. Hinata slipped off the dog's back so she could focus her byakugen moved quickly and silently through the woods, trying their best to spot the demon or Naruto's body before they were spotted themselves.

As they moved in, Kiba's senses started to confuse him. The demon's energy and scent wasn't nearly as strong as he remembered and Naruto's smell was overpowering everything else. That could mean that either the demon ditched Naruto's body (which was highly unlikely) or it created a diversion to throw them off course. He wondered if Hinata sensed it too.

Just as he was about to ask her, she spoke up and pointed towards something in the distance, "Kiba-kun, look over there."

He followed her finger and saw exactly what she was talking about. A girl in a pink sundress was laying in the grass a few feet ahead of them. They quickly closed in on her when they realized that she wasn't moving.

Hinata knelt beside the girl and turned her over on her back to get a better look at her face. The torn pink sundress. The matted brown hair.

"Etsuko," Hinata breathed.

"Without the demon," Kiba added, standing beside Hinata.

The raven-haired girl glanced up at him, "A-are you sure?"

"Positive. The demon's energy and scent are faint. It probably left Etsuko's body not too long ago." Kiba explained, watching the younger girl's face.

"And Naruto?"

Kiba had to hide a grimace and even Naruto cringed a little inside his head. Kiba replied, "I don't know. His scent is all over her, probably from carrying his body. My guess would be the demon went as far as possible in Etsuko's body before it was strong enough to get out and transfer into Naruto's."

Both Hinata and Naruto gulped. Their worst fears had just been confirmed. Kiba tried to remain calm for the both of them, although he was really terrified. They were going to have to take Naruto down.

"The demon probably didn't get too far if it's energy is still on the girl. It's probably weak from the transfer," Kiba explained further. "We should probably hurry."

"But what about the girl?" Hinata asked, brushing the younger girl's hair away from her face.

"Right..." Kiba wasn't too sure what they should do. Medicine wasn't really his area of expertise. "How bad is she?"

"Bad," Hinata replied immediately. Her large, violet eyes were swimming with concern as she looked up at him. "Her breathing is really slow. That demon did a lot of damage to her body."

Kiba knelt beside Hinata and examined the Etsuko's face. It was pale and her chest was rising and falling rather slowly...

"What can we do?"

"W-well... I can give her some medicine but what she really needs is to get to a hospital. An h-herb mixture is only going to help her f-for so long..."

"Then we'll have to be quick. Make the mixture while I check out the map and try to figure out where the closest village is."

Hinata nodded silently, ignoring the way the determination in his blue eyes made her heart flutter and her stomach do flips. She quickly shook the queasy feeling away and slid her backpack off her shoulders. She unfastened the top. Hinata pulled out two little vials, both filled with green plants, and a tiny bowl. She dumped the contents of one of containers into the bowl and added a pinch of the other jar. She mashed the two as best she could, then added some water to make it easier for Etsuko to swallow.

As she scooted over towards the brown-haired girl's lifeless body, she glanced up at Kiba to see if he had found a village. He was studying the map they had brought with a intent look on his face. Hinata turned to Etsuko, lifted her head up, and slowly poured the bowl's contents into her mouth. She hoped the medicine would help her hold on.

"Found it!" Kiba grinned, smacking the map with his index finger, "It's not too far either. Let's get moving."

He walked over to Etsuko and scooped her up in his arms. He carefully set her on Akamaru's back. Hinata watched him with a slight blush on her face.

"Hinata, do you want to ride with her to make sure she doesn't slip off? I'll run behind you guys." Kiba motioned with his thumb towards Akamaru, who barked and wagged his tail. Hinata nodded and, without saying a word, climbed onto the dog's back.

* * *

They arrived at the village a few moments later. The village was small, as indicated on the map, but they had a hospital. It was easy to spot among the much smaller houses and shops.

Etsuko was still unconscious and breathing slowly when they arrived. As they walked briskly through the village streets, Kiba slowly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He sniffed the air and under the mix of freshly baked goods wafting from the local bakery and the scents of all the different villagers bustling around them, one stood out. Naruto.

He glanced at Hinata, who looked tense on top of Akamaru. She must've felt it too. This time they both knew that it wasn't a trick or something that was going to throw them off course. The demon (and Naruto's body) had been through here.

"There's the hospital," Kiba pointed towards the oncoming building. They'd worry about the demon after Etsuko was taken care of.

They rushed through the hospital's double-doors and handed over Etsuko to the first pair of hands that would take her. The younger girl was whisked away to the back of the ER to have some tests taken. Kiba and Hinata both plopped down into two red chairs in the waiting area.

"W-well, at least we don't have to worry about tracking the s-scent down again," Hinata smiled weakly.

"Yeah, and he's been through here pretty recently. Must've stopped in town to rest or something. He could even still be here somewhere." Kiba wondered if the townspeople could sense it like they could.

"Well as s-soon as w-we get word on Etsuko m-maybe we should go look..." Hinata suggested, twiddling her thumbs. Kiba glanced down and saw her hands were shaking. He tentatively lifted his hand to place it over hers but decided against it.

"Sounds good to me," Kiba replied, keeping his voice steady. His eyes shifted toward the door, waiting for the doctor to reappear. He hoped that the girl was okay and wasn't permanently hurt because of that _things_ greed. He began unconsciously clenching and unclenching his fists out of anger.

Hinata glanced down at his hands and, without thinking, placed her own hand over top of his. Kiba's head whipped around and he stared down into her violet eyes. He was surprised by her sudden gesture.

"Don't worry, K-kiba-kun... things will be o-okay," She said softly in an attempt to comfort him. He knew she was talking about more than just Etsuko.

Kiba was a bit surprised by the role reversal and by how bold she was being. He couldn't remember the last time she had grabbed his hand, and he was usually the one comforting her. But he wasn't about to complain.

He glanced down at their stacked hands. Hinata's hand seemed so tiny, smooth, and pale compared to his rough, tan hands. He soaked in their warmth and even let out a little comforted sigh. When she saw him relax, she smiled satisfactorily.

Kiba was even more surprised that she just left her hand on top of his, even after he was calmed down. He risked casting a sideways glance at her, taking in every feature on her face; her beautiful porcelean skin and pale eyes that he'd grown to love so much.

Unfortunately, Kiba's conscious decided to interrupt his staring and punch him in the chest. He had to remind himself that he couldn't say to much because of Naruto (who wasn't really paying attention at the moment) and that Hinata didn't feel the same way about him. He wasn't sure where she stood with her feelings for Naruto. And even if she didn't love Naruto anymore, that didn't mean she was going to fall head over heels for him.

_Um... Kiba? Does your secret have something to do with Hinata?_ Naruto's questioned echoed in his mind like a man screaming from the mountain tops.

_Maybe. Naruto... How do you feel about her? _Kiba responded, his eyes drifting over again to the girl in question.

_Hinata? She's a great friend. Why are you-_

_Just a friend? _

_Yeah. I don't get why you're so concerned about it. _

_Just wondering._ He sighed. He wasn't sure if Naruto's answer was a relief or more of a burden. If Hinata still loved him, her heartbreak was imminent. Kiba knew he didn't want to see her like that. He'd seen it one too many times before and this was surely going to be worse.

Naruto sensed Kiba's relief and an idea quickly morphed in his head. Kiba must've been trying to set Hinata up with someone and was checking for potential competition! He quickly shoved that idea into the depths of his mind before Kiba realized he'd figured out his secret. He'd take care of this later on... when the time was right. Since he couldn't help Kiba fight the demon, the least he could do was lend him a helping hand with his little side project.

Just then the doctor came sauntering back through the double doors. He was dressed in light blue scrubs and a white coat and a matching blue face mask covered his mouth. He was holding a clipboard. He pulled down the mask so he could speak to Kiba and Hinata, who jumped from their chairs when he appeared.

"H-how's Etsuko?" Hinata asked, nervously drawing her hands up to her chest.

The doctor smiled, "She's stable. You got her here just in time, but she'll need to rest here for awhile before we can discharge her."

Kiba and Hinata exchanged glances. As much as they were concerned for the girl's safety, they didn't have time to wait.

"Listen... could you do us a favor and give our hokage Tsunade a call and let her know about Etsuko. I'm sure her family's worried about her." Kiba snatched a piece of paper off the receptionists desk and scribbled a number down on it. He felt like such an ass trying to scramble out of the hospital like that and leaving the girl behind, but every second they waited, Naruto's body got further and further away. He shoved the paper into the doctor's waiting hand, grabbed Hinata's hand and raced out the door.

Akamaru was waiting for them outside. He leapt onto the dog's back and motioned for Hinata to do the same. He leaned over to Akamaru's ear, "Follow Naruto's scent again boy!"

The massive dog barked and took off, careful to avoid people in the streets. Both Hinata and Kiba could feel the energy trail, and Kiba could still smell Naruto, but it was weaker than before. The trail led them out of the tiny village and back into the woods. It got stronger and stronger with every step, until they felt like they were right on top of it. Kiba ordered Akamaru to slow to a walk and Hinata slid off the dog's back. She activated her byakugen and searched for any sign of Naruto's body.

"T-this w-way..." She motioned towards the direction of the body. She was terrified and had no clue what the demon was going to do when they found it, nor how strong it was now. "It's sitting just u-up ahead... in a clearing... under a tree."

They raced forward, following her directions, and they burst into the clearing, both tensed for a fight. The demon was perched lazily under a tree, like Hinata had said. It opened one eye, acknowledging their presence. Kiba gripped Akamaru's fur a little tighter as the demon slowly rose to it's feet.

_Gimme' back my body you creep!_ Naruto shouted from inside Kiba's head.

_It can't hear you remember?_

Kiba ignored whatever Naruto had replied with and focused on the demon in front of him. The demon stood a few feet away from them, eyes closed and a smirk on its face.

"I was wondering when you'd catch up to me," It chucked, opening Naruto's eyes. They were now a deep, blood-red color. Kiba heard Hinata gasp from beside him.

"Give up and we won't have to fight you. Just give us back Naruto's body," Kiba ordered sternly. He glanced over at Hinata. She was standing there, frozen with shock.

The demon stuck it's tongue out them and stretched it's arm above it's head, "Not a chance. This body's strong. I could get used to this. You'll have to fight me for it... but you don't want to fight me do you, Hinata-chan?"

Kiba growled furiously when the demon addressed Hinata. He wondered what the hell it was up to.

"Come on, Hinata," It practically purred, mimicking Naruto's voice perfectly, "You know how much I care about you. Do you really want to hurt me?"

_Shit._ Kiba bared his teeth. The demon was trying to trick Hinata by taking advantage of her feelings. It must've picked up on something from their last run-in.

In what seemed like a split-second the demon charged the both of them. Kiba's eyes practically bugged out of his head, "Hinata!"

But there was no response. Hinata still stood there, frozen, mouth hanging open, eyes wide and unblinking, one hand drawn up to her chest, clenched in tight fist.

Kiba cursed under his breath, jumped off Akamaru, and dove inbetween Hinata and the demon. He smacked into Naruto's body with enough force to send it hurtling backwards and to the ground.

The dog-nin reached out and managed to pin both Naruto's arms to the ground. When he thought he had it trapped he looked back over to Hinata.

"Hinata, snap out of it-" He was cut off by a sharp pain on the side of his face as Naruto's skull collided with his cheek. The demon headbutted Kiba, causing Kiba's arms to fly up to his head. With its arms free, the demon managed to shove Kiba off him and regain its footing.

"Damn it," Kiba cursed, clutching his bruised cheek. Hinata was still out of it. It was going to be all up to him. He made sure that he put himself between Hinata and the demon, so she'd be safe.

Before Kiba could catch his breath, the demon charged again, a huge grin on it's face. They collided once more, only this time, Kiba ended up being pinned down. The demon pinned his arms above his head with one hand and held the other in the air, palm open.

Kiba squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the impending blow. When he felt nothing, he cracked one eye open. The demon was opening and closing Naruto's hand, a few sparks of energy crackling in its fingertips. Naruto's face looked frustrated.

Then it dawned on Kiba. The demon was trying to a technique of Naruto's that it had seen earlier; Only it couldn't because it didn't know how to work the body. They still had a chance.

"Akamaru!" Kiba called out.

Suddenly the pressure of the demon on top of him disappeared as Akamaru spun through the air and knocked the demon off. The demon bounced back and landed on its feet, facing the enormous dog. Akamaru lunged and the demon simply smacked the dog to the side, as if he were a fly.

"Akamaru!" Kiba shouted in agony as he watched his dog skid to the ground. He clenched his fist and charged the demon.

_Kiba... Kiba! KIBA!_

Naruto was screaming at him. He knew that now that Kiba was angry, he was going to fly in there blind. He was bound to make mistakes.

The demon's lips tugged up into an evil smile and it easily snatched up Kiba. It spun him around and slammed him up against a tree. Kiba cried out in pain as his back smacked against the hard bark of the tree. Air rushed out of his lungs and he couldn't move a muscle.

The demon knelt down in front of him, pinning him to the tree with a coy look on its face, "Now I'll just kill you with my bare hands... then deal with that useless girl over there..."

Kiba wanted to lunge at the demon when it called Hinata useless, but the demon had him pinned and his body was still in shock from hitting the tree. He gasped for air as the demon's hands wrapped around his throat.

"Hinata!" He managed to choke out, struggling to try and pulled the demon's hands off.

Hinata still stood ridged. Naruto's voice rang loud and clear in her head. _Remember how much I care about you..._

Kiba could slowly feel the air beginning to be siphoned off. His vision began to blur and his body was growing weak.

"H-hinata..." Kiba called out.

"Yes, Hinata, just stand there and watch him die," The demon chuckled. "I know you're on my side. Don't forget how much I care..."

_Watch him die!_

Hinata blinked, snapping out of her stupor. She glanced to her left and saw Akamaru sprawled out on the ground. She looked over to her right and saw the demon with its hands wrapped around Kiba's throat.

_Kiba-kun!_ What the hell was wrong with her!

She pumped chakra into her hand and took off. She rushed towards them, her palm extended and forced her hand into the side of the demons skull with everything she had. The demon released its hold on Kiba's neck and Naruto's body fell to the ground, unconscious.

Hinata huffed in a few deep breaths, waiting to see if the demon would get up again. When it didn't she breathed a sigh of relief.

_Kiba!_

She quickly turned to her teammate, who was slumped down against the tree. He had a pretty big bruise forming on one side of his face and a red ring around his neck. Hinata dropped to her knees and pressed her hand up against Kiba's chest. Still breathing steady. She pressed her hands against the side of his face.

"Kiba-kun?" She whispered softly, her voice cracking slightly.

Hinata felt absolutely pathetic that she'd let the demon control her like that, but when she'd seen Naruto's body, and heard him say something she'd been waiting to hear for forever, she couldn't bring herself to attack him. Hinata glanced over her shoulder when she felt something soft and wet nudge her ear. It was Akamaru, and he was whimpering softly.

She patted him, "S-sorry, Akamaru..."

The dog licked the side of her face and she knew she was forgiven. Hinata turned back to Kiba and gently touched the sides of his face, being careful to avoid his bruises.

"Kiba-kun... please... say something..."

She felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. This was all her fault. If she had just been able to get over herself, Kiba would be fine. Hinata felt her heart beginning to split and bash against her ribs. She hated attacking "Naruto" but when she saw Kiba being hurt, none of that seemed to matter anymore.

She slowly pressed herself against him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She hugged him and begged for him to wake up. She apologized countless times. All she wanted was for him to open his eyes, laugh, and tell her he was fine.

"T-tell me I'm dreaming?" a muffled voice whispered weakly.

Hinata froze for a second when she felt a pair of hands traveling up the small of her back and then slowly twisting through her hair. She pulled back ever so slightly to see that Kiba had one eye open and a huge grin on his battered face.

"I can't believe you're hugging me," He chuckled softly, "What's the occasion? D-did we win?"

Hinata couldn't answer him because her throat was too choked up with happy sobs. Tears of joy sprang from her eyes as she threw her arms around him again.

"I'm sorry, Kiba-kun. I-I'm sorry I couldn't h-help... b-but the things it was s-saying to me..." She blubbered into his shoulder. Kiba was so happy the she was hugging him, he didn't even mind the snot and tears on his shirt.

"Shhh," He murmered, his hands moving in circular motion near the top of her back, "I know. But I'm okay. What happened to the demon?"

Hinata pulled back slightly, "Um... I think I knocked it out. It's lying over there."

Hinata glanced over and Kiba looked past her head to see Naruto's body sprawled out on the ground.

"Well, even if you were a little... delayed... you were still the one to knock it out in the end," Kiba grinned at her, "Good work."

"T-thank you," Her cheeks turned a very dark shade of red. She started to pull away from him and stand up, "I-I should make a sleeping serum to keep it out until we can get to the village where Miro lives..."

She turned to work on the concoction but let out a yelp of surprise when a pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her back to the ground. Kiba tugged her into his lap. Hinata felt her back brush up against his chest and his chin resting on the top of her head.

"K-k-kiba-kun!" She stuttered, blushing to the roots of her raven colored hair.

"I still don't feel like I can get up..." He mumbled into her hair. Hinata shivered when she felt his lips against the back of her head. "Just stay like this for a little bit? Please?"

She hesitated for a moment before agreeing. This all felt very... foreign. Not bad. Just strange. Kiba had never really acted this way before. She wondered if maybe he felt vulnerable because he was hurt and just wanted some comfort by hugging her. Yeah. That must be why.

So then why, if it was just friendly comfort, was this making her feel like her heart was going to explode out of her chest?

((End of Chapter))

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So that's then end of chapter 4! Please leave me reviews and let me know what you think!


	5. Exorcism

Note: Hello everyone! =] Two things: One, be sure to check my main page for update info on my stories and such. Two, I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. ChApTeR 5! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. What a shame :(

* * *

Body and Soul  
_Chapter 5: Exorcism_

_This sucks! _Naruto thought with a groan inside Kiba's head. He sat in complete darkness while Kiba slept. He hated not being able to see what was going on. The only thing he knew now, was that Hinata was working on a sleeping potion for the demon (that was the last thing she said before Kiba passed out). Now he was stuck sitting in here, alone, until Kiba woke up. The thing that annoyed Naruto most was, that he had so many questions to ask him!

Earlier, when Kiba had asked Naruto how he felt about Hinata, Naruto assumed he was asking because Kiba was trying to set Hinata up with someone. But after seeing their little display under the tree, Kiba holding Hinata in his lap, he wasn't quite sure what Kiba's angle was anymore. If he was trying to set Hinata up with someone, he wasn't doing a very good job so far. It seemed more like he wanted Hinata all to himself...

The jealous feelings. That part of Kiba's brain where he'd stashed away all these memories of Hinata, as if they were a secret he was trying to keep Naruto from finding. The way his brain felt like it was going to overheat and fry whenever the raven-haired girl was around. Did Kiba have a crush on Hinata?

_Hmm._ Naruto wasn't quite sure what to do with this new-found epiphany. He'd promised himself before that he was going to try to help Kiba out somehow, since he couldn't help tackle the demon problem.

Naruto turned to stretch; he planned on sitting down and trying to work out a plan to help Kiba win over Hinata. He was about to sit, when out of the corner of his eye, he notice a gray arch-shape floating in the dark abyss. He had never really noticed it before. No. Wait. He had noticed it before.

_That was here before when Kiba was sleeping._ Naruto remembered seeing it floating nearby the other night, but decided to ignore it.

He strode over through the blackness towards the soft, gray light. Naruto stopped a few inches in front of the arch, inspecting it for a second. It was a simple arch-shape but when he saw it up close, he noticed it had depth to it - like a tunnel. A lump formed in his throat as he considered walking into it. What if he ended up deep in the inner recesses of Kiba's mind, never to be seen again? That'd be the worst.

But what if it was a way out?

Forgetting that even if he did find a way out he had no body to go to, Naruto tentatively stuck his finger into the opening. Nothing happened. He timidly stuck his whole hand in. Nothing. Sucking in a deep breath, Naruto stepped into the tunnel and prepared himself to be sucked into a whirlwind or something.

But he wasn't. Instead he was greeted by more darkness. Only this time, it felt different. He felt more in control of things, not like he was wandering around aimlessly in Kiba's head. He tried looking around, but couldn't see anything. It wasn't like in Kiba's head when he'd look down and at least be able to see his own two feet. This was like his eyes were closed and he was simply staring at the inside of his lids.

_I wonder if..._

He tried to open his eyes up and, lo and behold, his world was illuminated. He could see the trees in the surrounding forest, feel the soft, green grass beneath his fingers, and hear Hinata humming to herself as she mixed up the concoction. Naruto lifted up his hand and flexed his fingers. He was in control, but when he looked down at his hand, he saw long, sharp fingernails. He was in control, but he was in control of Kiba's body.

"Holy shit..." He murmured. That portal-thing must have been when allowed him to take over.

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata had looked up when she heard him speak. She hadn't expected him to wake up so soon. She actually had been hoping for a little more time to gather her thoughts after the whole sitting-in-his lap thing.

She finished mixing up the serum and poured it down the demon's throat, before it could wake up. That would keep it knocked out for at least a few hours - enough time for them to get to Miro's. Hinata packed up the rest of her supplies and returned to Kiba's side, wanting to check on his condition. If he was well enough to get up move, then she figured they could head out.

Hinata pressed the palm of her hand against Kiba's forehead, "How are you feeling, Kiba-kun?"

A cheeky grin spread across his face, "Great."

Hinata withdrew her hand, giving him a quizzical look. She watched as Kiba folded his hands behind his head. He was still grinning at her, but something was... off. The way he was smiling was, different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. His facial expressions and posture looked like they didn't belong to him.

"Kiba-kun?"

"Guess again," Kiba's voice replied, but Hinata knew it wasn't Kiba speaking.

Her jaw fell open, "N-naruto-kun?"

"That's right," Naruto stuck his tongue (or Kiba's tongue, rather) out at her.

"How did you... w-where's... what..." Hinata felt her face turn ten different shades of red as a million questions whizzed through her head. She felt dizzy, and her stomach felt like it was twisting itself into some sort of elaborate knot.

"Not sure," Naruto answered, frowning slightly, "I just... took over. I think I know how to get back though. I think we just switched places. I probably could only do this since he was sleeping."

"Oh." Was all Hinata could say. She was dumbfounded. A question popped into her head, "Does he know? I-I mean does he know you've taken over his b-body?"

Kiba would be mad. No he'd be beyond mad. Hinata shuttered at the thought. She made a mental note to try and keep this incident as secret as possible.

"Don't think so," Naruto replied with a smirk, "I can hear him sleeping still. He'd hate me even more if he knew what I was doing. I never understood why he hated me so much to begin with though..."

Hinata giggled, "I'm not sure either. Kiba-kun doesn't have a whole lot of patience for some things I guess."

Naruto wasn't sure quite how to proceed with his plan. If Kiba found out what he was doing, he would surely be pissed. Naruto was just racking up the strikes, first by taking over his body, and now by potentially messing with Kiba's love life.

"I don't know. You manage to stay on his good side. He never gets mad at you. How do you do it?" Naruto asked her.

Hinata's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink, "I d-don't know. I'm sure it's m-more like he t-tolerates me..."

She had never really thought about that before. Kiba, who had one of the shortest fuses out of anyone she knew, had more patience for her than anyone else. She messed up more often than she succeeded, so how come tolerated her more than Naruto?

"Doubt it," Naruto waved her off.

"W-why do you say that?" Hinata's brows knotted together in confusion.

"Because I have access to his thoughts and feelings. I know how he thinks and what he feels when certain things happen," Naruto answered with another wide grin.

"H-how? L-like what?" Hinata stuttered, still unsure of what Naruto was getting at.

"Well... I know he gets jealous whenever you talk about me... hm... maybe _that's _why he hates me!" Naruto exclaimed, smacking his open palm with his fist.

"Jealous?" Hinata repeated, "Why would he be..."

_Oh. It can't be... _She thought, biting her lower lip.

Naruto felt something stirring in the back of his head. Kiba was getting up. He could feel him starting to move around.

"Gotta go!" He blurted out and squeezed his blue eyes shut.

"Wait-" Hinata started, but his body quickly went still. She waited for a second, watching his motionless body, waiting for Naruto to resurface. Kiba's eyes slowly fluttered open. The way the sunlight danced off his irises made them look even bluer than before.

Kiba's brows furrowed, "Hinata? Is everything okay?"

Hinata breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Kiba was back.

"Hinata?"

"Hm? O-oh y-yes! E-everything's fine, Kiba-kun..."

Kiba shot her a disbelieving look and then shrugged. He grabbed onto the trunk of the tree he'd been leaning against and hoisted himself to his feet. Akamaru bounded over and licked his master's hand. He yipped excitedly, happy that Kiba was back on his feet.

Kiba patted the white dog on his head, "Glad to see you're feeling better too, boy. Where's the demon?"

Hinata glanced over her shoulder at the sleeping form on the ground, "S-sleeping. I g-gave it a sleeping serum. W-we should probably head to Miro's as quickly as possible... b-before it wakes up..."

"Sounds good to me," Kiba replied, stretching his arms above his head. He twisted his torso a few times, loosening up his muscles. He felt cramped and a little sore, but that was probably due to his injuries starting to heal and from sleeping in an odd position.

Hinata watched him walk over to the body, carefully hoist it up, and place it onto Akamaru's back. Then, Kiba pulled out the map Tsunade gave them and tracked how long it would take them to get to Miro's village from their current location. They wouldn't be able to move very quickly; Akamaru would have to walk to keep the demon from slipping off his back, and there wasn't enough room for Kiba or Hinata to ride and hold the demon in place.

Kiba motioned in the direction they would need to head, and he started walking beside Akamaru. Hinata stumbled after him, her face the same shade as the tattoos on his cheeks. She walked beside him, Naruto's words echoing in her head.

_Well... I know he gets jealous whenever you talk about me..._

The thought made her heart go pitter-patter in her chest. Maybe it was Kiba just being his usual over-protective self. But what if it was something more? What if there was _something_ there? That thought made her head spin.

* * *

"This looks like the place," Kiba declared. He tapped lightly on the door. They had stopped in front of a small house. They were in the right village; they had asked for Miro's address from someone in the streets and they had been directed here. The number on the outside of the house matched the one Tsunade had scribbled down on the map.

Kiba was thankful the demon had remained unconscious the whole trip, but he was worried about Hinata. She had been quiet, quieter than usual, the whole way there. Everytime he'd check on her she looked so... lost.

_Maybe that battle with Naruto really messed her up._ He felt his heart slowly sinking to the pit of his stomach.

He had been thinking that her heart had been changing while they were on this mission. He kept thinking that she had been looking at him differently, in a new light, the way she looked at Naruto. Maybe she had finally realized that he was the right person for her and she'd finally gotten over Naruto. Maybe, just maybe, she'd fallen in love with him.

Kiba glanced at his reflection and noticed his eyes reflecting back at him in the glass. Only he remembered they weren't his eyes. They were Naruto's.

_Damn it_.

Realization kicked in. She had probably only been looking at him differently because of Naruto's eyes. Every time she looked at him, she saw the eyes that she loved. She'd been looking right past him. His heart sank to his shoes.

_Kiba?_ Naruto's nagging voice piped up in the back of his head, only he sounded worried. _You okay? I just felt like... a ton of despair or something like that._

_I'm fine. Just... thinking._

… _about Hinata?_

…

Kiba didn't have time to answer, nor did he really want to, because the door was flung open. A young woman, who didn't look much older than them, was standing in the doorway.

She looked to be about the same height as Hinata, maybe a little taller and she had fair skin like Hinata too. She had cherry-colored locks that were cut into a choppy haircut that ran just past her shoulders. She had a thick fringe of bangs that ended just above her golden eyes. She was wearing a black sundress and bright red ballerina-like shoes. When she smiled at them, Hinata noticed that her canines were slightly sharper than the rest of her teeth. She reminded Hinata of a wolf.

"Hey!" She greeted, ushering them in. She took note of the demon on Akamaru's back, "You must be the ones Tsunade-sama sent. I'm Rika. Miro-san is in the back."

Hinata peeked up at Kiba and she noticed him watching Rika. She wondered if Kiba noticed this girl's similar canine-like features or if he thought that she was pretty. Her lower lip jutted out when she realized that would have bothered her.

They followed Rika through a short hallway to the back room. In this room, there were two tables of equal height and size, place a few feet apart from each other. Hinata noticed straps hanging off the sides of the tables. She shuttered slightly. The walls of the room were lined with shelves filled with bottles, jars and viles off all different colors. Some shelves were filled to the brim with books, papers, and binders. A tall man was standing in front of one of the shelves, browsing its contents. Hinata guessed this was Miro and that this room was where he did all his work.

"Miro-san!" Rika announced when they entered the room.

The man turned around. He was tall; he towered over Kiba. He had shoulder-length, white-blonde hair. His eyes were a piercing ice-blue. He was dressed in a purple kimono-like outfit. Kiba was surprised by how young he was. He was expecting Miro to be someone much much older and more secluded.

Miro put down the book he'd been looking at. He wrapped an arm around Rika's shoulder and planted a quick kiss on her cheek. Kiba swore he heard Hinata let out a quick sigh of relief.

"Are these two from Tsunade-sama's village?" Miro asked. He had a deep, rich voice.

"Yes, sir," Rika replied, flashing him her pointy canines.

Miro smiled genuinely at them and extended his hand. Kiba shook it, "I'm Inuzuka Kiba and this is my teammate, Hyuga Hinata."

"Nice to meet you," Miro replied, releasing Kiba's hand. He pulled a few stools out that were hidden around the other side of the table, "Tsunade-sama didn't fill me in on too many details, just that you would be coming to see us. Oh, pardon my manners. I'm sure she already introduced herself but this is Rika, my assistant."

" and girlfriend and housekeeper and cook..." The younger girl prattled on before Miro shushed her.

"Alright..." Kiba paused, unsure where to begin, "We were assigned a mission to track down this missing girl-"

"E-etsuko," Hinata interjected hastily.

"Right. Etsuko. So we managed to track her down, but it turns out she was possessed. We tried to fight her, and Naruto, the demon, and I all ended up colliding right when the demon tried to use whatever thing it does to take over bodies. Naruto ended up in my head, and the demon ended up in Naruto's body," Kiba motioned towards the body that was still draped across Akamaru's back.

"Interesting." Miro replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "So you tracked the demon back down and brought it to me. You need me to get Naruto out of you and back into his body."

"R-right," Hinata answered, her fingers intertwining nervously.

Miro shot up out of his seat and turned to his assistant, "Alright, then there's no time to waste."

"Y-you're going to do it right n-now?" Hinata asked, her voice squeaking on the last word. This whole thing made her very nervous. If something went wrong, she wouldn't know what to do.

Miro nodded, "The sooner we do it the better. It gives the demon less time to accommodate to the body and makes it easier to extract."

"And it will be easier to separate your friends," Rika added.

"Rika, grab the body off the dog and strap it down on the right table, please." Miro ordered. The red-head obeyed immediately. Miro motioned for Kiba to lie down on the opposite table.

The dog-nin warily eyed the way Rika was strapping Naruto's body to the table. He hesitantly sat on the edge of the empty table, locking eyes with Hinata. She looked just as nervous about all this as he did.

_It'll be okay. Tell Hinata everything will be okay too._ Naruto tried to cheer him up. He really _hoped_ things would be okay.

_She's just worried about you._ Kiba replied bitterly. Miro motioned for him to lay down on the table. Kiba complied.

"We'll get the demon out of Naruto's body first. In case it wakes up." Miro told them. Hinata glanced over at Naruto's body, while Kiba rolled over onto his side to watch. He wasn't sure if he bought the idea that you could extract a person's soul quite so easily.

Rika set the body down on the opposite table. Miro then set up a small, circular end table in between the two larger tables. Rika fetched a blue bowl off of one of the shelves and set it on the table. She then grabbed a vile off of another shelf and poured it into the bowl.

Miro stood at the head of the table, near Naruto's head. He started chanting something under his breath. Rika stood next to him, ready to assist him at any moment's notice. The demon remained perfectly still, its' eyes still closed, as Miro continued the exorcism. Kiba's eyes widened in amazement as Miro seemed to pull out a red-cloud like thing. The red-wind flowed effortlessly out of the demon's nostrils and into Miro's hands.

"Got him," The older man said with a gentle smile. "Rika, hand me the bowl, please."

The red-head snatched the blue bowl off the table and handed it to her boss. Miro slipped the red cloud into the bowl. There was a tiny burst of light, followed by a small puff of smoke. Then everything went still.

"Done."

"That's it?" Kiba asked, one eyebrow shooting up.

"Yup , that's it!" Rika replied with a grin, "Your turn now."

"Close your eyes and try to relax, Kiba." Miro instructed.

Kiba rolled on his back and did as he was told. Right before his lids shut, he saw Hinata move to stand next to him. That comforted him a bit, even though she still looked worried. He could hear Miro muttering something from above him. It sounded like some kind the chant he had done before, only slightly different. Kiba resisted the urge to snort; this voodoo witch-craft shit sounded like it was for the birds.

However, the second the chanting stopped, Kiba felt a sharp stab of pain in his skull. It felt like two hands reaching inside his head and yanking at his brain. His eyes flew open and he let out a loud yelp.

"K-kiba-kun!"

He felt Hinata take hold of both his hands and squeeze them gently. His head felt like it was going to explode any second.

"S-shit..." He cursed. Kiba tried his best to suck it up and not show any pain; he didn't want Hinata to worry any more than she already was.

"Just relax, Kiba," Rika reminded him. Kiba felt like telling her to shove it. She'd never had another human's soul yanked out of her skull.

"Almost got him," Miro murmured, his hands still swirling above Kiba's face.

Hinata watched in amazement as the blue color slowly drained from Kiba's eyes. It was like the color oozed right out of his irises. His colorless eyes seemed to bend and shift back to their normal slit-shape. His eyes returned back to their original coal color.

The instant his eyes returned, Miro extracted the cloud-like shape which Hinata assumed was Naruto's essence. The smoke curled out of Kiba's open mouth. This vapor was a cerulean color, the same shade as Naruto's eyes, unlike the demon which was red. Miro held the tiny cloud in both his palms and he swiftly moved to the other table, Rika at his heels. Hinata's eyes followed both of them, but she quickly turned her attention back to Kiba when she heard him let out an uncomfortable grunt.

"K-kiba-kun?"

He blinked and smiled weakly at her. He tried to mouth something, but no sound came out. Hinata realized she was still holding both his hands.

"Are y-you hurt? What's wrong?" She could hear the panic in her voice. Her stomach started twisting itself into knots.

Kiba didn't answer her. His eyes fluttered closed as he blacked out.

* * *

"Want some tea?"

Hinata jumped, startled out of her brief slumber by the sound of Rika's voice. The dark-haired girl had only closed her eyes for a second. She turned around and could see the outline of Rika's face in the dimly lit room. The red-head held out a still-steaming cup of tea.

Hinata gratefully took the white cup out of her hands and turned back around to face her teammate. Kiba still laid unconscious on the table. She hadn't left his side since he passed out. She wasn't quite sure what time it was by now, or how long he had been out for, but she was tired.

"Thank you," She murmured against the rim of the mug.

"No problem," Rika replied with a gentle smile. She felt bad that Kiba hadn't woken up yet and wondered if Miro had made some sort of mistake. "At least your other friend woke up right away..."

Hinata managed a weak smile, "Yes. I'm glad Naruto-kun is back to normal."

She was definitely glad Naruto was back to his old self, in his own body. He woke up almost instantly after Kiba blacked out. When Hinata first locked eyes with him it felt weird. It was strange to see his blue eyes and not think of Kiba, since that face had been paired with those eyes for the past few days. She was glad he was awake, but she was more worried about Kiba passing out.

So Hinata stayed by his side, waiting patiently for him to wake up again. She wanted to tell him how happy she was they were both back to normal. She wanted to tell him how confused she was about everything. She wanted advice from her best friend.

But most importantly, she wanted to tell him that she thought she was in love him.

She wasn't quite sure when or how it had happened. Maybe it had been when he pulled her into his arms and they'd sat under the tree. Maybe it had been when Naruto tipped her off that Kiba might have feelings for her. Or maybe she had loved him all along and didn't realize it until she looked through the eyes of someone she _thought_ she loved.

Rika's voice tore her from her thoughts again, "Well... if you need anything I'll be in my room. Don't be afraid to come get me."

"Thank you," Hinata murmured again. She heard Rika's footsteps slowly fading as the older girl made her way back to her room.

Hinata sighed and gently brushed back a bit of Kiba's bangs. She wished that he would just wake up already...

"Hey, Hinata!"

Hinata didn't jump this time since the voice was more familiar. Naruto appeared behind her, carrying a small lamp. Most of the lights were off since Miro was sleeping. The only other light in the room was another small lamp right by Kiba's table.

"H-hi, Naruto-kun..." Hinata hated how crestfallen she sounded.

"Any news?" Naruto asked, peering over her shoulder. He was surprised that Hinata didn't blush and pass out when he accidentally bumped against her back. She must've been really worried.

"N-not yet," She whispered, blinking back tears.

Naruto hesitantly patted her back. When she didn't show any signs of fainting, his touch became a bit firmer, "Don't worry, Hinata-chan. He'll wake up soon."

"I k-know," She replied shakily, "I just hope it's soon. I'm so confused. I just w-want him to be okay and t-to figure things o-out..."

Hinata's mouth clamped shut when she realized she was babbling. Naruto wouldn't understand why she was confused in the first place. She could feel the blonde's eyes on her so she concentrated on Kiba's sleeping form.

An evil-looking grin spread over Naruto barely-illuminated face, causing Hinata's eyebrows to furrow.

"You like him don't you?" Naruto asked.

Hinata blushed to the roots of her hair. She frantically shook her head, which caused her raven-hair to fly all over the place, "P-please don't tell. W-what if he wakes up and hears y-you?"

Naruto rubbed his nose, "Sorry, Hinata-chan. I don't think he'll hear me. But just tell me if it's true?"

"Y-yes," She squeaked, "I-I t-think so..."

Naruto grinned so wide, you could practically see every single tooth in his mouth, "Don't sound so scared. I think that you should tell him after he wakes up. Trust me."

* * *

"Ugh..." Kiba groaned softly, his eyes slowly opening to pitch-blackness that was Miro's living room. His body felt stiff and soar, so he guessed that he must have blacked out, since the last thing he remembered was intense pain in his head. That pain had now subsided to nothing more than a dull ache. Then he recalled what had been the cause of the pain. The exorcism.

_Naruto?_

Kiba was greeted with the silence of his own thoughts. He was alone at last.

_Thank God..._

Kiba wanted nothing more than to get off this stiff table and crawl into a bed somewhere. He wanted to lie down and dream and think without having to hold back to hide his secrets from Naruto's prying ears. He was free.

He started to prop himself up, when he felt something heavy resting on his thighs.

"What the hell...?" He murmured.

Kiba tried to squint through the darkness and see what was weighing him down, but he couldn't make it out. His heart started to race. What if something had gone wrong and something was wrong with his legs now? He'd kill that damn voo-doo witch, or whatever the hell he was.

He hesitantly reached out towards his legs, and gently stroked whatever was resting there. He felt something soft. It was air and from what he could tell, it was very long. Kiba's nose wrinkled as he took in the air around him. A smile spread over his face. Hinata.

He breathed a sigh of relief as her familiar scent filled his nostrils. He listened to the sound of he soft breathing and felt her chest slowly rising and falling against his lap. She was asleep.

Kiba gently lifted her and was careful not to wake her. He scooped her up into his arms. As he slipped off the table, he noticed a lamp resting near the table. The light must have faded out after Hinata fell asleep, or maybe someone had come out and turned it off. He reached over, all while balancing Hinata in his arms bridal-style, and picked up the lamp. He managed to flick the lamp on, and offered a bit of dim light.

Using the lamp to guide him through the dark room, Kiba made his way back to what he thought were the bedrooms. Now that he could actually see, he stole a quick glance of her sleeping form. She looked peaceful, almost childlike, except for the fact that she was still absolutely breathtaking.

That's when his smile fell and his heart chilled. Right before he had laid down on that table, after he'd seen how worried she was about Naruto and how bitter and awful it had made him feel, he decided that maybe enough was enough. She was never going to return his feelings.

Kiba's head snapped up when he heard a nearby door creak. He heard footsteps slowly padding out into the hallway and he noticed another weak light.

"Kiba?" Naruto called. His voice dipped down to a whisper when he noticed the sleeping girl in Kiba's arms, "You're awake!"

"Obviously," Kiba sighed.

"Still an asshole though," Naruto replied with a frown. Kiba glared at him. Naruto ignored the look and motioned to Hinata with his lamp, "I was just going out to check on her. She must have fallen asleep while waiting for you to wake up."

Kiba's heartbeat picked up. He quickly restrained his feelings. He shouldn't let that give him hope when he knew it would just come crashing down again.

"Yeah," He replied, his voice even, "I woke up and she was asleep on my lap. I figured I would bring her to bed."

Kiba looked down at Hinata again and Naruto didn't miss the sadness in his eyes, "... You okay? I'm glad you're awake."

"Me too. Honestly, I'm glad you're okay too, Naruto," Kiba quickly snapped out of it. He looked up at the blonde, "and I will be. It'll just take some time."

He could see Naruto's lips pucker in confusion, "What do you mean? We're talking about the other person in this room right?"

Kiba smiled slightly, "Yeah."

"So what do you mean by 'you will be it'll just take some time'?"

"I'm giving up."

((End Chapter))

* * *

Please review! :)


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